THE SCEPTRE Volume 27, Number 2
Winter/Spring 2018
• 2018 Distinguished Graduate Merrill Strobel Bohren • CKS Happenings • Catholic Schools Week & Student News A Publication of Christ the King School, Nashville, TN • A Primary Education Ministry of Christ the King Parish
A MESSAGE FROM MRS. WOODMAN Dear Families and Friends,
Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed. This was the theme of Catholic Schools Week 2018 and one that Christ the King proudly lives each day. Our celebration included each aspect of the theme. We honored Merrill Bohren as our 2018 Distinguished Graduate for her commitment to our parish and to the service of others. Her message to current students was to value the gift of Catholic education and use it to lead and serve others. She told them that even as students, there are ways they can make a difference through service. Students also learned from other community leaders about the importance of reading for their future success. Each class welcomed a visitor for Leaders Read Day including athletic directors, realtors, authors, and a police officer. Teachers engaged students with unique learning projects for Student Appreciation Day such as choosing flooring for their own condominiums in math, creating keys in Tinkercad, researching Elizabethan England, and creating catapults for a STEM project. Students collected school supplies for the resource center of a local public school that has families in need. They also designed cards of appreciation in computer class for clergy and ministry leaders. Support of our Haitian twin parishes in Pilette and Roche Platte is one of our school’s key social justice commitments, particularly from our parish school to their school. During the last week of January, Cindy Unwin, 5th grade teacher, and Rai Wood, library media specialist, accompanied Fr. Dexter and members of our parish Haiti group on a mission visit. They carried gifts with them, including contributions from our spirit store, which were instant hits with the Haitian students, who gladly donned our red and gold for their soccer team. Ms. Unwin and Mrs. Wood spoke with the principal and teachers there, assessed the school’s needs, and came back with knowledge that will help us serve them best. Our Change for Haiti collections this Lent will buy books for their library which currently has none. Later this spring we will sponsor a school supply drive for the Haitian students and collect gently worn uniforms to send in an April sea container shipment. Catholic Schools Week was made even more special this year with the installation of Bishop Mark Spalding on March 2. Several of our students sang in the stellar children’s choir while other students and teachers represented CKS in attendance at the ordination. On campus, students wore amaranth red in honor of the bishop, enjoyed a cake reception, and watched the broadcast after learning in religion classes about the office of bishop, including how one is selected. Welcoming our new bishop was exciting for everyone who loves Catholic schools! Celebrating our Catholic identity and our success in developing leaders and learners reminds us that our school is God’s school. We are here to serve Him by serving his children with excellence and with love. Thank you for being part of our holy mission at Christ the King School. Sincerely, Mrs. Sherry Woodman Principal
Development Office News! This month we hosted A Crown Affair 2018 benefiting Christ the King School. A Crown Affair is the largest fundraising event of the year, and over $70,000 was raised in one night. Of those proceeds, over $14,000 is allocated for Tuition Assistance to better meet the needs of our families making the commitment to Catholic education. The auction had many exciting offerings included vacations to Colorado and Florida, special dinners with Father Dexter, and a private suite for a Nashville Predators game. Thank you to our guests, our auction donors, our sponsors, and most especially to Crown Affair Chair, Terri Francescon, for spearheading a record-breaking year of fundraising for CKS!
The 2017-2018 Annual Fund is underway at Christ the King School. Many parents, alumni and parishioners have joined together to make their annual financial commitment to the school. Thank you! As we work towards our goal of $160,000, please consider a gift to the Annual Fund. The Annual Fund supports the operating budget of the school and allows us to keep tuition as low as possible for our families. Last year, the Annual Fund provided over $500 per student towards the cost of their Catholic education. This year, Annual Fund proceeds will support many initiatives, including but not limited to updates to facilities, a growing faculty with our addition of a middle school science teacher, and renovations in our library. To make your gift today, visit www.ctk.org/donate or call Development Director Anna Beth Godfrey at 615-292-9465.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from Mrs. Woodman / Development News..................................2 Distinguished Graduate 2018................................................................3 CKS Happenings...................................................................................4 CKS Student Accomplishments............................................................5 Catholic Schools Week / Bishop Spalding’s Visit...................................6 CKS Teachers Visit Haiti.......................................................................7 Dates to Remember ...............................................................................8
On the Cover:
Former CKS Art Teacher, now children’s author, Jessica Young, came during Catholic Schools Week to read one of her new books to Kindergarten and Fourth Grade for Leaders Read Day. www.cksraiders.org
DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE MERRILL STROBEL BOHREN MERRILL STROBEL BOHREN, CLASS OF 1984 (in her own words) Merrill received her award during Catholic Schools Week, and as always, most of her family was there to witness it. The sense of strong family support is evidenced in her own words which follow, not only her biological family, but her CKS family, and her strong foundation at Christ the King. “I want to thank my parents for the many sacrifices they made so me and my siblings could attend Catholic Schools. That extends to my grandparents that made those same sacrifices just as your parents are making sacrifices so you can attend this great school. I want to thank my aunts and uncles who came today to show their support as they have shown all my life. I want to thank my siblings – Amelia, Martin, Daniel, Margaret and Morgan who have been my biggest critics and greatest champions. Any one of these folks could be called a distinguished graduate as they have all gone out and made significant contributions across the Nashville community and beyond. A Catholic education provides students with a strong academic foundation which is critical. However, what sets the Catholic education apart is the additional education you receive from being part of the amazing group of believers. You learn you are part of something bigger than yourself and it is instilled as a part of this wider community, you are expected to share your talents in service to others. Finally, God is at the center of the education. That focus is unchanged. The emphasis is as individuals, we should be living as Christ lived – respecting others, being inclusive not exclusive, and being kind. We could use a lot more kindness in the world. I am grateful for the privilege to call myself a Catholic School graduate and specifically a Christ the King graduate.” 2 1
Merrill with daughter, Catherine ‘14, and husband, Robbie
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1) Merrill’s 5th grade class (1980-81); 2) Where it all began - Jerry and Pat Holzapfel Strobel are married 9/4/65; 3) Amelia ‘80, Martin ‘81, Merrill ‘84, Daniel ‘86, Margaret ‘89, Morgan ‘91; 4) Merrill with daughter, Catherine ‘14 and nieces Ann Gailor ‘19, Sullivan ‘20, Alex ‘14, and nephew Sam ‘19; 5) CKS graduates are a family tradition; 6) Merrill with her biggest fan club - her family.
(Above) Seated-Bunny Holzapfel Kohl ‘54, Hosey Holzapfel ‘55, Pat Holzapfel Strobel ‘56; Standing- Daniel Strobel ‘86, Catherine Bohren ‘14, Margaret Strobel Pyburn ‘89, Amelia Strobel ‘80, Martin Strobel ‘81, Cathy Holzapfel Caldwell ‘65, Morgan Holzapfel ‘66, Merrill Strobel Bohren ‘84, Sue Metzger Holzapfel ‘66, and Alex Strobel ‘14.
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CKS STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
National Junior Honor Society: New members inducted 2/26/18 - Kylie Armstrong, Mark Bryant, DJ Clark, Grace Darke, Faith Geshwiler, Grace Holland, Henry Hill, Bridgette Lux, Joey Maffei, Joe Mugnano, Arin Nipp, Joseph Numnum, Maylin Ortiz-Andrade, Bailey Patterson, Wyatt Reeves, Emma Rehse, Lily Rohling, Venn Stany, Ann Gailor Strobel, Henry Zenor. Current members - Jaxon Anton, Catherine Bohren ‘14, Ellie Bryan, Carolina Bryant, Marina Chiames, Mariah Clark, Susanna Donnelly, Nora Doyle, Emily Garrison, Alex Hamm, James Hill ‘17, Brock Himmelberg, Austin Ignatz, Ryan Kerrigan, Ben Lisle, Sydney Long, Gretchen Lux ‘16, Bailey Meacham, Gussie Miller, Michael O’Connell, Fabian Ortiz-Andrade, Alex Otto, John Rohling, Kendall St. Charles, Steven Vanden Noven, Patrick Warner, Hayden Zenor ‘17.
(Above & right) Steven Vanden Noven read his 1st place essay for the “Patriot’s Pen about “America’s Gift to My Generation” at the local and district office of the VFW.
(Above) Grace Darke was invited to the capitol after being selected as the winner of the Secretary of State’s essay contest on civics at the state level. (At left) Students who qualified for the National History Bee Regional Finals: 6th grade - Alex Crews, Sanjeeth George, Kira Stell Gabrielle Tiburcio; 7th grade - Mark Bryant, Faith Geshwiler, Sophie Vanden Noven; 8th grade Jaxon Anton, Austin Ignatz, Gussie Miller, Alex Otto, John Rohling, Kendall St. Charles, Margaret Standley, Steven Vanden Noven, and Patrick Warner.
National Finals Qualifiers: Alex Crews, Sanjeeth George, Mark Bryant, Gussie Miller, Alex Otto, Steven Vanden Noven. The National Finals will be held June 1-2 in Atlanta. Qualifiers for the U.S. Geography Olympiad: Sanjeeth George, Mark Bryant, Gussie Miller and Steven Vanden Noven.
(Above) Mark Bryant won 1st place in the 7th Grade American History Essay Contest by the American History Committee of the TN Society DAR. He received a medal at the Ft. Nashborough chapter and has been invited to the House of Representative Chambers at the State Capital June 1, 2018.
(Above) Select 6th-8th graders attended the 30th Annual Math Day at Father Ryan High School. Attending: 6th grade - Carly Cavanaugh, Hailey Wondem; 7th grade - Faith Geshwiler, Henry Zenor; 8th grade - Jaxon Anton, Susanna Donnelly, Gussie Miller, Steven Vanden Noven. Henry placed 3rd in 7th grade word problems, and Steven placed 2nd in 8th grade word problems. The combined team achieved 4th place. www.cksraiders.org
CKS HAPPENINGS
CKS HAPPENINGS: (Above) The Scholastic Book Fair was a big success! Fr. Dexter, Fr. Andy and Mrs. Woodman were good sports and dressed for the theme “Paws for Books.”
(Above left to right) Fr. Dexter popped into the Chess Program to play a little chess; Seventh grade had their annual Cultural Fair - Henry Hill is pictured playing an Irish tune and wearing a kilt for his presentation on Ireland; Second grade had a bit of a light show with Mr. Bond, the Science Guy, who showed them the power of lasers.
(Above) Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Jaimie Gorman ‘01, husband Lowell and big sister Annie James welcomed new Baby Raider Thomas Jude (Tommy) on Saturday, February 17th at 5:39p. Tommy weighed 8 lb., 8 oz and was 19 inches long.
www.cksraiders.org
(At left) Varsity Basketball Celebrations! The 7th/8th Grade Varsity Basketball Teams, Girls and Boys, both teams placed 2nd in the Diocese and 3rd in the Parochial League Tournament! Go, Raiders!
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
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CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: Highlights from the week included celebrating the Parish, Community, Vocations and Volunteers, Parents, Students, Teachers and Staff and the installation of Bishop Spalding. Special events included a Student Art Show for the parish, Leaders Read Day, Distinguished Graduate, a Parents Retreat, the Student Talent Show, the annual 8th vs Faculty Basketball Game, and celebration and viewing of the installation of Bishop Spalding.
BISHOP SPALDING
BISHOP SPALDING’S VISIT: On Tuesday, March 6th, Bishop Spalding celebrated Mass with the students; Fr. Dexter and Stefan treated us all to beautiful music before mass; we presented the Bishop with a gift and then he visited all of the classrooms.
www.cksraiders.org
CKS TEACHERS VISIT HAITI - By Cindy Unwin, CKS 5th Grade Teacher In January, I was fortunate to be part of a mission team to visit our twin parishes of Pilette and Roche Platte, Haiti. Those included on the team were Fr. Dexter, parishioners Dave Kuhlman, Tony Emmanuel, Earl and Martha Weissert, and CKS librarian Rai Wood. I was proud to be a representative for our school and eager to meet the two pastors, Fr. Dorcin and Fr. Beaufort, and the people of their parishes. In the end, for me, the trip turned out to be more than a mission to help others. It was a mission that changed the way I look at life now. We landed in the big city of Cap Haitien and from there rode into the city of Trou-du-Nord, which is about five miles from the parish of Pilette. There was so much to take in on that ride. What I noticed first was the overcrowding of people doing their daily activities outside of brightly colored buildings. As we kept going, I started noticing all sorts of other details. Garbage is everywhere in Cap Haitien. The city smells and the water is dirty. There was a sense of people being busy. However, as I later learned, most people in Haiti are busy at doing nothing but living day to day. Trou-du-Nord is much the same. I was amazed to notice that amongst all this, the people were happy, smiling, and I could hear laughter. When you get out of the city of Trou-du-Nord, there is a lot of beauty in Haiti. At the foot of mountains lies Pilette, very lush with tropical fruit trees, coffee bean trees, bean fields, cacti and plants not seen in Tennessee. When we rode through Pilette on our first full day there, it was noticeable that these people also had smiles on their faces and seemed genuinely happy. And yet, they have even less than those in the bigger cities. At least in the bigger cities there is a hope of employment, and a hope of being able to survive easier. Most of our days there were spent with Fr. Dorcin in the parish of Pilette. We went to the school and visited with the students, teachers, and principal. There Fr. Dorcin, Ms. Unwin, Fr. Dexter, was a visit with the doctors at the clinic. We enjoyed a beautiful two hour Sunday Fr. Beaufort, Ms. Wood morning Mass. Two hours might seem like a long time, but to us it wasn’t! Fr. Dorcin’s church has two choirs, a band, and little girls dressed in white robes with blue sashes dancing to beautiful music in honor of our Mother Mary. Not to mention the gorgeously dressed people that brought gifts of all they had to offer at the Eucharist: huge baskets filled with gifts of fruits and vegetables from their trees and gardens. It was at the Mass when I began to think differently. I was in a room full of people who have nothing yet give what little they have. I visited a school where students have the very bare essentials, and yet continue to go each day because they have a thirst to learn and better themselves. School is a place of hope to these children and their parents. Teachers go to school every day to share their knowledge, even though their salaries are extremely meager. They are so invested in the lives of the children that they worked for three straight months with no pay. Doctors go to the clinic, earning only fifty dollars a day, doing what they can, with what little medicines and supplies they have, to help the poor. I thought to myself, here I sit at Mass being treated like a royal visitor, and I dare to complain about my life? What’s wrong with this picture I often paint in my head? The change in me started happening. My self talk changed. Do I stress and worry over the maintenance of my house? Yes, but thank you, God; I have a comfortable home. What about your debt, Cindy? Yes, but thank you, God; I have a steady One of the classrooms in Haiti income and eventually I can overcome this situation. How about the mountain of laundry that’s neglected because I still have so much to do for work? Yes, but thank you, God; I have a job and a washing machine. I don’t have to wash clothes in a stream. On top of that, you have plenty of clothes in your closet, Cindy. These people rely on donations from the U.S. and other countries to get their clothes. When Bishop Spalding celebrated Mass with our students, he left them with a little bit of advice: “To whom much is given, much will be required.” How true those words are. I may have been given much less than others in life, but I have also been given much more than many. That advice will surely stick with me now. Mostly, though, when a negative attitude hits me, I take my phone out and look at one of my favorite pictures from Haiti. It’s a little girl who walked with me on a dirt trail and kept looking up and smiling at me. Thank you, God. www.cksraiders.org
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DATES TO REMEMBER
March 19 Summer Uniforms Begin 21 Sam Mihara Speaker 23 3rd Quarter Report Cards 28 8th Grade Living Stations 29 Holy Thursday-No School 30 Good Friday-No School
April 1 Easter Sunday 2 Easter Monday-No School 4-6 STEM Fair 9-18 Iowa Assessments/CogATs 19 8:15a Spring Concert 20 7:00p Drama Spring Play - Taming of the Shrew 27 4th Qtr. Interim Reports 28 4:30p Confirmation
April-May 30-4 8th Grade Trip 6 11:00a First Communion 7-11 Teacher Appreciation Week 8 May Crowning 10 2:00p Volunteer Tea 11 PreK/Kdg Field Day 13 Mother’s Day 15-17 6th-8th Final Exams 17 6:00p Academic Banquet 18 1st-8th Field Day
23 8:15a Spelling Bee 24 8:15a EOY Awards 10:30a 8th Grade Dismissal 6:30p Graduation 25 Last Day of School 12:00p Dismissal
The Scholastic Book Fair was a success! These 2nd grade boys stopped to read after making their selections.